After yesterday's hard day, we slept in until 7 o'clock. We took our time getting ready, and shared a cup of coffee with our hostess. A few miles down the road we stopped for a real breakfast at a place we'd been warned was a rough roadhouse. The people there were very friendly, and warned us not to stop at our first possibility, Cave-in-Rock, because there was a week-long rock concert going on. The groupies, we were assured, would beg aggressively and steal what we did not give voluntarily- by force if necessary.
We stopped a couple of hours later at Elizabethtown, on the Ohio River, for refreshments and a brief rest. The riding had not been too hard, but we were soaking wet from the humidity. Shortly after Elizabethtown, the route put us on a small backcountry road which did give us some difficult hills, including two at 17% which we somehow got over without stopping.
At Cave-in-Rock, where we caught a ferry across the river to Kentucky, of course none of the feared groupies were in evidence. Once on the Kentucky side, 12 miles of rolling hills put us in Marion, an active town of 3,000. There is a good B&B, full, so we ended up at the cheapest of cheap motels, except for the price. While we took a rest, a strong thunderstorm blew through, part of a stationary system which is causing flooding and misery in the whole region. But it cleared in time for us to ride a short way back to the center of town and the best Italian dinner we have had in a long time.
Today was just as hot and humid as yesterday, but it was shorter and we were careful to stay hydrated. We feel good, and proud to have conquered the two 17% hills. We also set a downhill speed record of 45 mph for this trip.
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